The number‘of ‘religious nones’ is growing; let’s change this in our community.

And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” — Luke 1:50

You’re more likely to die from a falling coconut than from a shark attack (per ABC News). Which are you the most afraid of? Sharks, of course!

But neither sharks nor coconuts make the list of what scares Americans the most. Those top 10 fears are, according to The Washington Post, public speaking, heights, bug/insects, drowning, blood/needles, small spaces, flying, strangers, zombies (c’mon, folks, quit watching The Walking Dead), and darkness.

Did you notice that the condition of the soul isn’t on that list? Perhaps that’s because, for the first time, “No Religion” has topped a survey of Americans’ religious identity, according to a new analysis by a political scientist. The non-religious edged out Catholics and evangelicals in the long-running General Social Survey.

Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Eastern Illinois University and a Baptist pastor, found that 23.1% of Americans now claim no religion. Catholics came in at 23.0%, and evangelicals were at 22.5%. “Religious nones,” as they are called by researchers, include atheists, agnostics, the spiritual, and those who are no specific organized religion in particular. Rejection of organized religion is the common thread they share.

“It is the first time we have seen this. The same questions have been asked for 44 years,” Burge told CNN. The meteoric rise of religious nones began in the early 1990s and has grown 266% since 1991, he said. Burge estimates that ‘No Religion’ will be the largest group outright in four to six years.

Note that only 2,000 folks were interviewed in the survey, so this may well not truly represent our country as a whole. But still, those results are scary, right? After all, Acts 10:35 tells us that “in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

However, accurate those survey results are, it’s obvious that our country — and our community — is looking for something to believe in, to give people hope. And that won’t be found in politicians, musicians, movie stars, or sports stars. It’s in the Messiah.

In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And he tells the apostles (and us) to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”

This is exactly what we want to do at Northside. Our search for the next pulpit preacher, our elder selection process, and our plans to find ways to reach the unchurched better are part of our mission.

Pray for all these processes. Pray for the Northside staff and shepherds. And pray how we can all be involved in edifying each other and saving the lost.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes; first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” — Rom. 1:16

Dennis Sellers

~ For the Elders